Muzaffarnagar : A court in Muzaffarnagar sentenced seven men to life imprisonment on Saturday for their role in a deadly shootout triggered by a panchayat poll feud over 25 years ago. The court also imposed a Rs 1.8 lakh fine on each of them.
The incident occurred on Sept 20, 2000 in Muzaffarnagar’s Dhorahedi area.
One of the attackers shouted, “Let’s finish them all today,” before opening fire, according to the FIR. Jayvindra, a local resident, was outside the house of Dhoom Singh with Rupak and Gautam when the accused arrived with revolvers, pistols and country-made weapons. Soon, they started firing towards the group. Seven people suffered gunshot injuries. One of them, Ravindra, died while being taken to Meerut for treatment.
Seven accused were finally convicted under IPC sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 342 (wrongful confinement), 147 and 148 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly) and 504 (intentional insult). District govt counsel Rajeev Sharma said, “The court of additional district and sessions judge convicted Anil, Ravindra, Nawab, Sanjeev, Pankaj, Preetam and Basant, all aged between 50 and 60. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Agra | Silver Rate in Agra | Bank Holidays in Agra | Public Holidays in Agra | Agra AQI | Weather in Agra | Petrol Price in Agra | Diesel Price in Agra | CNG Price in Agra | LPG Price in Agra Stay updated with the latest Agra news.
Vedpal Singh’s wife had defeated Basant’s wife in that poll. The accused were supporting Basant’s wife and had developed animosity towards the other side after the results. Dhoom, who was named as an accused in the case, later died. The trial continued for over two decades. In its order, the court stated: “If the fine is not paid, each convict shall undergo an additional one month’s imprisonment. Download the TOI App.
Prosecution linked the shootout to a panchayat election held about a month earlier.